Telescopic umbrella

ABSTRACT

A telescopic umbrella having a main runner and an auxiliary runner sliding on the telescopic stick, the auxiliary runner having an extended sleeve with slots therein adapted to temporarily engage abutment projections in the stick for enhancing the spreading of the dome ribs as the umbrella is being opened.

United States Patent [151 3,698,410 Weber 1 Oct. 17, 1972 [54] TELESCOPIC UMBRELLA 636,455 2/1962 Canada ..l35/25 R 72] Inventor: Heinz Weber, Rhineland, Germany 1,205,239 1 H1965 Germany ..l35/26 [73] Assignee: Telesco Brophey Limited, Montreal, primary Examiner- J l n Quebec Canada Attorney-Alan Swabey [22] Filed: Oct. 23, 1970 [5 7] ABSTRACT. [21] Appl. No.: 83,493

A telescopic umbrella having a main runner and an auxiliary runner sliding On the telescopic stick, the [30] Forms Appl'cahon Pmmy Data auxiliary runner having an extended sleeve with slots on. 25, 1969 Germany ..P 19 53 794.1 therein adapted to temporarily engage abutment p jections in the stick for enhancing the spreading of the 52 us. Cl ..l35/26 dome ribs as the um i g p [51] Int. Cl. ..A45b 19/04 [58] Field of Search ..l35/20, 25, 26, 27

[56] References Cited 3 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 883,330 7/1953 Germany ..l35/26 PATENT EM 17 I973 3.698.410 sum 1 or 5 INVENTOR Heinz WEBER awa PATENTED 3.698.410

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INVENTOR Heinz WEBER P'A'TENTE'Dnm 11 m2 7 3.698.410 sum u urs INVENTOR Heinz WEBER .4 TTORNEY r l TELESCOPIC UMBRELLA BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to improvements in umbrellas and particularly to umbrellas of the telescopic type.

2. Description of Prior Art It is always a disadvantage in telescopic umbrellas that, as the umbrella is being opened, the dome ribs often telescopic together rather than pivot away from the umbrella stick as they should.

SUMMARY oF INVENTION It is the aim of the invention to provide the means to facilitate the opening of the umbrella.

A construction in accordance with the present invention comprises a telescopic umbrella having a stick capable of being shortened, a main runner and an auxiliary runner sliding on the stick, and a locking device which prevents movement of the auxiliary runner temporarily while the umbrella is being opened, the said auxiliary runner includes a sleeve extended towards the main runner, the sleeve cooperating with catch means on the stick, the catch means beingreleased during the opening movement of the runner by the upward movement of the main runner.

This aimis accomplished, according to the invention, in that, when the umbrella is open, the auxiliary runner sleeve is inserted in the main runner and is provided at its lower end with an additional catch aperture which, in cooperation with the catch of the locking device on the stick side, stops the auxiliary runner at a distance from the umbrella crown and prevents it from moving any farther up.

In this connection, it is of advantage, according to the invention, for the auxiliary runner sleeve to have an inwardly directed release step equipped with camming slopes between the lower catch aperture which is made in the form ofa longitudinal slot.

Finally, s satisfactory characteristic of the invention is that the release step cooperates with a control button on the spring of the catch in the stick.

IN THE DRAWINGS Having thus generally described the invention, it will now be referred to in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof and in which:

FIG. I is a side elevation of the opened umbrella;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the umbrella cover;

FIG. 3 is also a side elevation of the umbrella, but without the cover material;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the umbrella in the open condition and in approximately actual size;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing the end of the umbrella stick provided with a handle;

FIG. 6 is a cross section through the handle end of the umbrella stick, with the stick in the shortened condition;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 4 showing the umbrella frame while it is being opened;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged view showing a detail of FIG. 7;

locking device shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view showing theumbrella stick with the main and auxiliary runners in a position corresponding to the open position of the umbrella;

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal section through the handle end of the umbrella stick with the handle extended; and

FIG. 12 is a side elevation of the handle.

The telescopic umbrella has a telescoping umbrella stick 1 consisting of tubular sections 2, 3 and 4. Section 4 has the smallest cross section. Section 4 is provided at its end with a generally cylindrical carrying handle 5. Its outer wall 5' is flared for the space-saving accommodation of ends 6 of dome ribs 6.

Main runner 7 and auxiliary runner 8 slide on umbrella stick 1.

Tubular section 2 carries a crown and cap 9. The dome ribs 6 are hinged to the crown 9.

Each dome rib 6 consists of three sections of approximately the same length i.e. inner section 6a near the umbrella crown, center section 6b, and outer section 6c. These dome rib sections telescope into each other. Whereas a U-profile is preferred for sections 6a and 6b, section 6c is made of steel wire of circular cross section.

Associated with each dome rib is a support system consisting of the following components: auxiliary runner strut 10, main runner strut ll, auxiliary link 12, dome rib support strut 13. Parts 10, 11 and 13 haveU- shaped cross sections. Part 12 is made of steel wire.

Strut 10 runs from auxiliary runner 8 and is hinged thereto.

Strut 11 is hinged to main runner 7.

This type of umbrella is more clearly described in copending application Ser. No. 047,688 filed June 19,

The umbrella is provided with a locking device H in the stick 1. V

The components of the locking device are the substantially lengthened auxiliary runner sleeve 17 and umbrella stick catch device 18 (FIG. 9).

Sleeve 17 is provided with catch apertures lying linearly one behind the other, namely lower catch opening 19 towards the handle end and upper catch aperture 20 towards the umbrella crown. Both catch apertures are in the form of elongated slots. The lower slot is longer than the upper. All slot ends are rounded.

Located in the interior of the umbrella stick is a preferably hairpinshaped catch spring 21, one leg of which lies against the inner wall of the relevant tube, while the other leg carries the two catches passing through the two tubular parts of the umbrella stick at that location, namely catch projection 23 and an additional control button 24 acting as a catch. The catch projections are of substantially cylindrical shape, but changes over at its end into a conical section. Parts 23 and 24 are of different lengths, catch projection 23 being longer.

Between the upper and lower catch apertures is a release step 25 of sleeve 17 cooperating with the catches. While it has the predominantly circular cross sectional shape of bush 17,it is pressed slightly inwards. It is also provided with camming slopes 26,27. In order to open the umbrella, the umbrella stick is extended and the main runner is moved towards umbrella crown 9. The auxiliary runner accompanies this movement for a very short distance, until edge 28 of the upper catch aperture strikes catch projection 23.

Stopping the auxiliary runner brings about preferential spreading of the dome ribs away from the umbrella stick. The parallelogram of links soon brings this movement to an end, so that when increased thrust forces occur, the catch projection, and thus the locking action, is overcome. Main runner 7 also travels over catch projection 23 and is provided with a sleeve-shaped extension 7. The end thereof pointing towards the umbrella crown is funnel-shaped, so that sliding and easy release from the locked position are ensured. Both main and auxiliary runners travel towards the umbrella crown 9. Auxiliary. runner 8 continues with this movement until edge 29 of lower catch aperture 19 strikes catch projection 23. In this position, catch projection 23 cannot be depressed over or brought into the release position since, unlike in FIG. 9 where it is in a different intermediate position, the control button cannot be pushed so far inwards that the conical end of the catch projection reaches the area of edge 29. When the umbrella is open, the main runner itself is held as usual by release button 30 in the form of a double lever and spring loaded.

The locking device also has an advantageous action during the opening cycle.

The auxiliary runner sleeve is also provided with a longitudinal slot 31, so that button 30 and nose 32 of this button can enter the relevant catch aperture in the umbrella stick, since the auxiliary runner sleeve passes through the main runner. This longitudinal slot 31 is offset by about one quarter of a circle from catch apertures 19 and 20. Umbrella handle is seated on a pin 33 which may be pushed into the hollow end of the umbrella stick. A guide piece 34, rigidly connected to tubular part 4, ensures parallel movement. The extended position is secured by means of a hairpin spring 35 having projections 36,37 staggered in the vertical plane, and snapping into the recesses 38 in the umbrella stick.

The interior of the handle holds the telescoped support system to the umbrella stick.

lclaim:

1. A telescopic umbrella having a stick made up of a plurality of telescoping sections, dome ribs hinged to a crown at one end of the stick, a handle at the other end of the stick, auxiliary and a main runner slidable on the stick, the auxiliary runner having an elongated sleeve portion adapted to pass through the main runner, spaced-apart axially aligned first and second closed slots provided in the sleeve, 2. spring-biased projection provided in the stick adapted to be engaged by the closed slots such that when the umbrella is being opened from a closed to an open position, the auxiliary runner is retarded by means of the spring-biased projection engaging the first closed slot of the sleeve until such time as the umbrella dome ribs spread and provide further force pulling the auxiliary runner thereby overcoming the engagement of the spring-biased projection, and said second closed slot adapted to be engaged by the projection as the auxiliary runner reaches its open position spaced from the crown to thereby retain the auxiliary runner spaced from the crown and the spring-biased projection being depressed when the umbrella stick is being telescoped to allow the auxiliary runner to move to a position abutting the crown when the umbrella is being closed. I

2. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein the closed end of the first slot engaging the projection and upward movement is sloped and raised relative to the sleeve.

3. An umbrella as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a hairpin spring provided in the stick mounting first control projection and a second abutment projection, spaced apart and aligned, the control projection being of smaller and shorter extent than the abutting projection and being on the side of the spring closer to the crown whereby when the umbrella is being closed, the closed end of the first slot and the second slot. easily ride over a control button causing the abutment projection to be pressed to pass over the projection.

l 1 l I 

1. A telescopic umbrella having a stick made up of a plurality of telescoping sections, dome ribs hinged to a crown at one end of the stick, a handle at the other end of the stick, auxiliary and a main runner slidable on the stick, the auxiliary runner having an elongated sleeve portion adapted to pass through the main runner, spaced-apart axially aligned first and second closed slots provided in the sleeve, a spring-biased projection provided in the stick adapted to be engaged by the closed slots such that when the umbrella is being opened from a closed to an open position, the auxiliary runner is retarded by means of the spring-biased projection engaging the first closed slot of the sleeve until such time as the umbrella dome ribs spread and provide further force pulling the auxiliary runner thereby overcoming the engagement of the spring-biased projection, and said second closed slot adapted to be engaged by the projection as the auxiliary runner reaches its open position spaced from the crown to thereby retain the auxiliary runner spaced from the crown and the spring-biased projection being depressed when the umbrella stick is being telescoped to allow the auxiliary runner to move to a position abutting the crown when the umbrella is being closed.
 2. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein the closed end of the first slot engaging the projection and upward movement is sloped and raised relative to the sleeve.
 3. An umbrella as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a hairpin spring provided in the stick mounting first control projection and a second abutment projection, spaced apart and aligned, the control projection being of smaller and shorter extent than the abutting projection and being on the side of the spring closer to the crown whereby when the umbrella is being closed, the closed end of the first slot and the second slot easily ride over a control button causing the abutment projection to be pressed to pass over the projection. 